Upstream BattleⓇ
What is Upstream Battle?
It’s estimated that up to 12.7 million tonnes of plastic gets into the sea each and every year – that's a truck full of litter a minute. It's killing wildlife, threatening ecosystems and habitats, and is extremely difficult and expensive to clean up.
Many initiatives that tackle marine litter are targeted at cleaning up our beaches or trying to remove litter from the sea once it's there. But, as 80% of all marine litter comes from land, we also need to face this problem upstream, where litter is washed into gutters, blown into streams or carelessly discarded. Worryingly, we are seeing a steady increase in the amount of land-based litter, which means there's a greater chance it'll end up in the sea.
We must stop this cycle of litter and prevent it from entering the sea in the first place.
The first phase of our Upstream Battle campaign focussed on changing littering behaviour to prevent marine litter at source along the River Clyde. Focused on the entire length of the River Clyde and its tributaries, we raised awareness, gathered evidence and inspired action.
From the Clyde's source in the Lowther Hills, along its major tributaries such as the rivers Kelvin and Leven, to the Forth and Clyde canal, and to the Firth of Clyde, we connected thousands of people in a common goal: to stop litter from getting into the Clyde.

How did we do this?
Our ambassadors
Photographer and Wildlife Cameraman
Ocean Rower
Actor